Vol109-07 August 2017

FOR ILLINOIS MEMBERS

ILLINOIS FOCUS INSIDE

“Telling the stories of what God is doing in the lives of his people” 18

l Mendez

nie Cover by Da

In every issue...

3 President’s Perspective 4 From My Perspective 6 Family Focus

In this issue...

Maryann and I had the privilege of attending the World Youth Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, the summer of 1969. It included a whirlwind tour of Paris, Italy, Austria, Germany, East and West Berlin, Copenhagen and London. It did not include the site of the Waldenses in the Swiss Alps, a community that has

7 Alive & Well

been an inspiration and one we’ve wanted to visit for some time.

8 Lest

We hope to go on the next study tour by Andrews University.

We Forget

9 Conversations with God 10

Sharing our Hope

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Conexiones

This issue has a lot in common with the Waldensian culture and mission: To be grounded in the simple truth of Scripture and to share that Word with students on the public university campuses. I know you’ll be inspired.

12 Telling God’s Stories 22 AHSNews

Gary Burns, Editor

23 Andrews University News 24 News 32 Announcements 33 Mileposts 34 Classifieds

Features...

14 Love Lifted Me by Shannon Kelly 18 By The Numbers

37 Commission Culture 38 One Voice 39 On the Edge 2

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The Lake Union Herald (ISSN 0194-908X) is published monthly (except for June/July and November/December) by the Lake Union Conference, P.O. Box 287, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-0287. Periodicals postage paid at Berrien Springs, Mich., and additional mailing o≈ces. Yearly subscription price is $12.50. Vol. 109, No. 7. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to: Lake Union Herald, P. O. Box 287, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-0287.

President’s Perspective

B Y D O N L I V E S A Y, L A K E U N I O N P R E S I D E N T

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What Kind of Throne?

enjoy furniture construction. Wood is so beautiful, and shaping it to fit together in a functional way is very fulfilling. Most furniture and cabinetry are basic boxes with variations of trim, doors and/or drawers. These boxes have corners that are joined with one of several options, from dovetails to one of several types of miters.

Chair construction, on the other hand, takes a lot more precision and is one of the most difficult items to make.

The primary part of a chair is the seat to which legs, arm rests and back are attached. These attachments are small points of contact which demand a very precise fit. If not done right, everything tends to loosen up with the constant stresses of use and thus compromises its stability. Although I’ve made several cedar chests, bookcases, kitchen cabinets, a crib, etc., I’ve never attempted to build a chair. I think it’s beyond my skill level.

The most notable of all chairs are thrones. It is a ceremonial seat for sovereign rulers in civil government and even in some churches. A throne signifies position, power and authority. These special chairs have ranged from simple stools in more primitive cultures to very ornate designs.

A quick Scripture search reveals the term “throne” used 168 times. 1 Kings 10:18 describes Solomon’s throne as a great throne of ivory with six steps. It was overlaid with pure gold and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. Certainly not a simple throne.

Thrones are repeatedly described as places of power where kings sit and rule and, at times, as a place to sit and judge. Jeremiah 3:17 describes the throne as a place, not a seat. The writer to the Hebrews says, At that time Jerusalem shall be called the Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 6:14 NIV).

The book of Revelation describes a different kind of throne which is probably not the single-person seat most of us naturally picture, nor an exclusive place of honor and power that signifies great authority. Jesus describes an inclusive type of throne. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (Revelation 3:21 NKJV, emphasis supplied). This is most certainly not the typical one-person chair. It must be a big sofa, a super couch, an enormous location where many, many of God’s redeemed are invited to come and share the honor, the glory and the fellowship of God. Is this not yet another expanding window into our Heavenly Father’s character and view of us? How special! Just think of the City, the worlds and the unlimited Universe our Creator and Redeemer is planning to share with us.

It’s just another motivation to live as a Commission-Culture person, family and church. I invite you to expand your vision and thinking of who God really is and how he views us, his children. After all, the King has premier seating right beside him, just for you!

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FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

Light Glows in Darkness

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BY ISRAEL RAMOS

he Seventh-day Adventist Church has the greatest system of education on earth! It is designed to prepare “the student for the joy of service in this world and the wider joy of broader service in the world to come” (Education, p. 13). However, statistics from the General Conference and North American Division show that as many as 80

percent of Adventist young people are attending non-Adventist universities. There are a variety of reasons why Adventist stu-

dents choose public schools over our denominational institutions. In some cases, finances play a major role — the scholarships offered by the state university present an offer too good to pass up! Sometimes, our Adventist schools do not offer the specialized major that the student is hoping to get. Sadly, in too many cases, young people opt out of Adventist university education because they’re opting out of the Adventist faith.

History The leaders of the Reformation (Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli) moved Israel Ramos and were moved on public university campuses. However, they were but the tipping point of revival that eventually led to the birth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Arguably, the groundwork of the Reformation was done by a group of people whom many Protestant scholars regarded as the forerunners of the Reformation. During a time of intense persecution, faithful, Bible-believing Christians were forced into the mountains and valleys to find safety and religious freedom. They became known as the “People of the Valley” or the Waldenses. The deep conviction that lux lucet in tenebris or “light glows in darkness” compelled them to serve God radically in a dark time in history.

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From these mountains and valleys, their young people were tasked with committing large portions of the Bible to memory. Establishing schools in the wilderness of the Alps, students wrote portions of Scripture and wove into their clothing the precious pages of the Bible. They enrolled as university students in the cities and lived out their faith by dropping seeds of Truth. People paid attention. They saw the unmovable faith these students of the valley possessed and were strangely drawn to their example. The Waldensian movement impacted the best universities in England, Scotland, France, Spain, Germany, modern-day Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Croatia, setting the stage for the fire of the Reformation to light up a darkened world.

Supplied by Israel Ramos

Whether or not we believe the statistics or reasons why our children are not attending our institutions of higher learning, one thing is certain: public campus ministry must be taken seriously if we expect our church to remain relevant in today’s society!

What Other Churches are Doing The investment that other religious organizations are making in public campus ministry is not small. They understand that, although the price of public campus ministry is high, the loss that results from not having one is much higher.

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Our Calling Adequately funding public campus ministry would be a worthwhile investment, even if it only reached our own children who are on these public campuses. Others are investing millions to do just that! Some in our church have noted that one of the greatest forms of youth evangelism is retention.

Holding onto the young people that are leaving the church is a worthwhile enough task. When we lose a student on campus, we sustain potentially eternal as well as temporal losses. That person will have a good-paying job, but not return tithe. They will marry and have children who will not be Seventh-day Adventists, creating a compounding loss. Losing our own young people carries catastrophic consequences.

The retention of our students on college campuses is a very serious matter and a compelling reason to heavily invest in this ministry. However, we have a larger calling that includes this enormous responsibility along with the commission of proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (Revelation 14:6 KJV).

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Daniel Mendez

At the University of Michigan (U of M), St. Mary’s Student Parish spends more than $1.5 million each year to support ministry on campus with a pastoral staff comprised of six Jesuit priests and a Jesuit novice, among others. They have been on campus for more than 90 years. Their ministry includes devotions, special services, faith formation programs, music ministry, and Prayer & Discussion groups. They also have an LGBT outreach two times per month.

They are making an impact. The director leads out in Holy Communion each game day for U of M players and coaches of the football team, one of top 10 in the nation. One of the Jesuit priests on their pastoral staff is on a two-year assignment from the Vatican Observatory as postdoctoral researcher at the university.

The University of Michigan Hillel Foundation, one of two nonprofit corporations that support Jewish campus ministry, invests nearly $2 million each year for their students on campus. One of their initiatives is holding free Shabbat dinners at their student center. Each week, hundreds of Jewish and non-Jewish students gather to welcome the Sabbath with a meal and traditional, or non-traditional, Jewish services.

Other initiatives include alternative spring break trips, Birthright Scholarship trips to Israel, and various conferences.

On the campus of the University of Michigan is one of the strongest Jewish life programs in the United States, raising more than $1 million each year through donated contributions by alumni.

Our work may begin by ministering to our children on public college campuses, but that’s not where it ends. When Ellen White envisioned public campus ministry (see Selected Messages, Vol. 3, p. 234), she had a unique Adventist perspective. She saw students attending public universities because they had something to offer the school, not because the school had something to offer them. According to her, Adventist students who have a relationship with Christ are to attend the schools of the land with the understanding that they are on dangerous enemy territory where sophistry is sugar-coated to appear intelligent, true and normal. They are to go as missionaries, just as the Waldenses did: living their faith, keeping the Sabbath, dropping seeds of Truth, and not engaging in controversy. These underground missionaries would then have an opportunity to win souls for the kingdom of heaven. To be effective, all hands on deck are required.

Public campus ministry is everyone’s ministry. Have you or someone you know ever attended a public school? If yes, you are a part of the majority of Seventh-day Adventists living in North America. There is a lot that you can do to support this ministry: make regular financial contributions to ministries who dedicate themselves to this work, connect students that you know who are on public college campuses with churches and pastors nearby, give students time and space to meet and minister to others, and think of more meaningful ways in which the church can support this underrepresented ministry.

Understanding the difficulty and danger of this mission field, Ellen White said she could scarcely recommend this method of labor for fear that more would be lost than gained.

However, understanding that the public university campus is the only place where world missions come to us, she counted the cost and concluded that: “This is a work that must be done. And it will be done by those who are led and taught of God” (Manuscript 22a, 1895; Selected Messages, Vol. 3, p 234.2).

Israel Ramos is the director of Public Campus Ministries for the Michigan Conference and coordinator for the Lake Union.

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FAMIL| FOCUS

Teaching Children to Make Time with God

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BY INGRID WEISS SLIKKERS

uch like other parents, when I had my sons the pressure to be the “perfect” mom was significant. It seemed my lists were endless, but most outstanding was my concern as to my role in developing their personal relationship with Jesus. I had read Ellen White, George Barna, among others, and I understood that learning

to trust Christ as Savior is more likely in childhood than in adulthood. What else could I do to help develop my children’s relationship with Jesus? We were already doing important things such as church, Sabbath school and family worship.

A godly friend encouraged me to teach them to start their personal devotions, as she was doing with her children, even as toddlers. She urged that creating these daily habits were much like teaching gratitude by gentle, daily reminders to say “thank you” even before they could speak with the depth of meaning coming later. She led me to recognize all the organization that went into coordinating playdates to create positive friendships. Shouldn’t I focus that much intentionality into arranging individual time with their eternal Best Friend?

I remember going home convicted and set up a corner with a beanbag, a basket with picture books, headphones, and music.

We explained this was a special place! I still have memories of chubby legs protruding from a onesie sitting in that beanbag in the days following. Before their diaper was even changed, they wanted to go to their spot to start the day!

My sons are now teens, and I asked them what they remember. One said, “For me, it became almost like brushing teeth, a habit — I physically realized when I had not done it, it was that important. I want to make sure my kids someday have a scheduled time for personal devotions, too.”

The other said he enjoyed the times during family worship when we would sometimes ask what he found interesting during personal devotions. They both expressed they felt having a designated place and time was significant, and they

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enjoyed it when I would randomly join them in their spot for their appointment with Jesus. They described liking picking out their personal worship book or activity themselves as they grew, or purchasing a new one for which we had put aside money.

I asked if they felt this individual devotional time was important, or would family worship have been enough? They agreed that setting up this structure for them had been an essential part of their existing relationship with Jesus.

Currently the boys are doing their personal worships during their breakfast. When we organize our schedules as a family for school, work and appointments, we always discuss when the personal devotions will occur in the morning, and what time family worship is in the evening, so that these are intentional and scheduled. The struggle with time management is a genuine reality, but we continue to try to remind each other that we need to put on our armor every day prior to going out to face the battle. As my sons approach adulthood, I continue to have to daily release them to the Holy Spirit. I ask that the habits that have been established may not just remain habits, but truly transcend into time with their Best Friend.

Ingrid Weiss Slikkers is assistant professor of Social Work at Andrews University, a Child and Family therapist, and is constantly learning more about God because of her sons.

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

ALIVE & WELL ve a t a h c nes al effe h u r P fici t e e heal n e b bon on

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The Prunus Parade

BY WINSTON J. CRAIG

Tar t help cherrie s a join lleviate t pa in

any of our delicious summer fruits come loaded with deep pigments — yellows, reds and purples. These stone fruits (apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums) all belong to the rose family and the genus Prunus. All of the stone fruits are rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, carotenoids (especially the sour

cherries) and polyphenolics. Fiber improves satiety, helps reduce food intake and improves colon function. Potassium is an important mineral that helps reduce blood pressure.

The bright yellow-orange color of apricots, nectarines and peaches is due to their high content of beta-carotene and other carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that helps protect the body from free radical damage.

Consuming fruits (and vegetables) rich in carotenoids is associated with an improved immune function and lower rates of cancer. Beta-carotene is converted by the body into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps build and maintain healthy skin, teeth, bone tissue and mucus membranes.

Consumption of stone fruit, rich in polyphenolics, conveys a number of health-promoting properties, including anti-inflammatory activity. Inflammatory processes are believed to be an underlying cause of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Stone fruits have four major phenolic groups (anthocyanins, chlorogenic acids, quercetins and catechins) which work together, and complement the healthy activity of each other.

Fresh apricots and peaches make an excellent dessert.

Made into a sauce, either fruit makes a nice topping for waffles or pancakes. Apricots have twice as much dietary fiber and potassium than peaches. Apricots contain iron and other minerals. A large share of the apricot harvest from California goes into canning and drying. Dried apricots are a popular energy food for hiking and, mixed with nuts, they make a healthy trail mix.

Sweet cherries are typically eaten fresh, while sour cherries are normally made into pies and jams. Dried cherries

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can be served on salads, savory rice dishes, and used in cookies and trail mix along with dried cranberries, adding rich color and flavor. Sweet and sour cherries contain several polyphenols that possess antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Processed cherry products (frozen, canned or dried) demonstrate activities similar to the fresh cherries.

Cherries can lower levels of C-reactive protein and may lower blood lipid levels, both significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Anthocyanin pigments in cherries can inhibit interleukin-6 and other pro-inflammatory factors. Anthocyanins can induce apoptosis (the programmed death of cancer cells) and reduce the proliferation of human colon cancer cells. An extract of tart cherries has inhibited tumor development.

The red pigment in tart cherries also has been shown to effectively alleviate the pain and swelling in the joints of animals experiencing arthritis. The red pigment diminishes the inflammatory reaction in the arthritic joints and increases the activity of the natural antioxidant systems of the body.

Dried Italian prune plums have a beneficial effect on bone health by increasing bone calcium retention and preventing bone loss. In addition to animal studies, a clinical trial indicated that the daily consumption of dried prunes by post-menopausal women significantly increased markers of bone formation. Clearly, a regular intake of stone fruits provides a real boost to one’s health.

Winston J. Craig, Ph.D., RD, is a professor emeritus of Nutrition with Andrews University.

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LEST WE FORGET Following the Lamb wherever He goes

Failure at Minneapolis on the Authority Issue

BY GEORGE R. KNIGHT Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart (Jeremiah 15:16).

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t’s good to eat the words of God. But sometimes we would rather partake of those of other people. That thought brings us back to the issue of authority at Minneapolis. While the aftermath of the conference had its successes, it also had its failures. Perhaps the most obvious one was the continuing temptation to rely on human opinions.

By 1894, however, it was no longer the authoritative words of Butler and Smith, but those of Jones that were causing the problem. Ellen White’s repeated endorsement of him and Waggoner at Minneapolis and beyond had undoubtedly prepared the minds of many to accept whatever they said or wrote. Because of their uplifting of Christ and the power of the forces in Adventism lined up against them, she had to “shout loud” her endorsement of them to get them a hearing.

Her voice did not go unheard. By 1894, S.N. Haskell felt compelled to observe to her that it had been “absolutely necessary” for her to “uphold Eld. Waggoner and A.T. Jones for these number of years.” “But,” he added, “the whole country has been silenced against criticizing them to any extent. That battle has been fought, and the victory gained.”

The denomination, he told her, now faced the opposite problem — the people and church leaders “were taking everything they [Jones and W.W. Prescott] said as being almost inspired of God.” F.M. Wilcox had come to a similar conclusion. Writing from Battle Creek, he noted that, “There was a time when many of the principles that Brother Jones has brought out were opposed, but lately the great mass of our people have hung on his words almost as though they were the words of God.” Thus, by 1894, Adventists had created a new crisis of authority. “Some of our brethren,” Ellen White commented, “have looked to these ministers, and have placed them

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where God should be. They have received every word from their lips, without carefully seeking the counsel of God for themselves” (Lt 27, 1894).

Will we ever learn?

One of the great lessons of the 1888 General Conference session involves authority — that God’s Word is the supreme authority, and that we need to move away from trusting the words of human beings and reading the Bible through their eyes.

God, help us!

George R. Knight is a retired professor of Church History at the Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. This article is from his book, Lest We Forget, a daily devotional, published by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, page 262, printed by permission.

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Conversations with

GOD

Deepen Your Relationship Through Prayer

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B Y PA U L E T T E TAY L O R

rayer ministry is heritage passed down from my mother whose mother passed it on to her. Mother had started the Northern Alabama Prayer Federation, an interdenominational organization, and served as its president.

Though prayer was my mother’s “baby,” and I felt my focus was to be on Women’s Ministry. Then Gary Thurber, who was president of the Indiana Conference at that time, called to ask if I would have prayer at camp meeting in the gym. Because of my asthma and no air conditioning, I declined. A couple of years later, he asked me again and I said, Paulette Taylor “Do we have air conditioning?” And, of course, we did not. So, I declined again.

Sometime later, our church nominating committee added prayer to our church ministries and asked if I would serve as the prayer ministry coordinator.

I told them, “No.” Do you see a trend?

Then I had a Jesus moment. When I later told a friend about turning down the camp meeting invitation, she said, “Where is your faith? Do you realize that God could have made it cool that day so you wouldn’t even need air conditioning?”

When she relayed that to me, I was so broken, so hurt, I asked God for his forgiveness and said, “If there is anything you want me to do for prayer, I’m on it! I’m there!” So I called the nominating committee and said, “Whatever you want me to do on prayer, I’m there.” That was four years ago.

For the first six months, I just prayed and asked God whom I should contact to involve in prayer; he led me to some amazing people who are still on the team. And we’ve added more since then.

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I remember, as a child, seeing mother on her knees, praying for her family. I remember my grandparents praying fervent prayers to the Lord. They prayed prayers that were not just prayers of practice or routine. They prayed out of a real relationship with God. I’ve always felt that from my grandparents and my parents.

It wasn’t until I went to college that I began to discover who God really was. But it wasn’t until after college, when I was out on my own, that I began to really experience God. He began to reveal how amazing and how real he was to me — another Jesus moment.

I asked myself, If you want to continue the path that you’re on, okay; but if you want to deepen that path with a real relationship with God, then that’s what you have to do.

So I made the decision to deepen my relationship through prayer.

My parents played an important role in modeling prayer. You will understand that the fervent commitment to prayer of my mother and her dogged determination when it comes to prayer was a legacy that is enduring. I won’t ever, ever, ever forget it.

So, when praying for your children, do not give up! God hasn’t given up on us, so we can’t give up on them. If we give up, what does that say about our faith? Stand firm for what it is, and who it is you’re praying for. God hears our prayers and he responds according to his will, his time and his way.

Paulette Taylor is the prayer coordinator for the Indiana Conference..

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SHARING our HOPE Campus Connections

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B Y LY D I A M U W A N G A W I T H D E N I E L L E W I L S O N

fter moving to the Evanston, Illinois, area for work, I remembered Philip Kim, whom I met at a C.A.M.P.U.S. retreat. As a graduate student, his passion for campus ministry drove him to start an Adventist group at Northwestern University. However, soon after his graduation in 2012, the group dissipated.

Supplied by Lydia Muwanga

I joined Philip in praying to find Additionally, Adventist can be scatmore Adventist students on camtered throughout the large Chicagoland pus, and God answered. At GYC area and have a wide array of churchOrlando, the Holy Spirit led me and es from which to choose. Therefore, Denielle Wilson, a Northwestern Adventist students at the same school freshman, to sit at the same table in may not know each other because they the cafeteria. Philip met Denielle latattend different churches. Four churcher that day and connected about the Adventist students from in the Chicagoland area delight in es are represented within our campus discovering a collegiate Adventist community.

Some of them campus ministry. group of seven. The Facebook Messenger pictured are: Tinu Adediran, Tunde Adediran, June Odera, In 2015, Denielle met June Denielle Wilson, Anna Boateng, Nathalia Justo app has come in handy in connecting Odera, a Northwestern student us virtually. from Kenya, at the Evanston First Church. A year later, June Denielle is preparing to graduate this year and the introduced Denielle to a Northwestern sophomore Anna importance of intentionally identifying and training new Boateng, who wanted to attend a church closer to school. It leadership to take over is paramount. Too often one student was in November 2016 when my path connected with theirs leader can endure establishing a student organization but one Sabbath afternoon, and I suggested we meet for a weekly risk starting over because of a lack of continued leadership Bible study on campus. and membership. In addition, it is crucial for local church Since then, the “NU SDAs” have been meeting Friday members and church leadership to mentor incoming student nights to study the Bible together. Through the students’ will- leadership. ingness to lead out, the ministry is moving forward. The atmoThe very first Global PCM (Public Campus Ministries sphere is open, inviting conversations about the connections of of Seventh-Day Adventists) Weekend launched October the Christian walk with student and professional life.

14–16, 2016, where campus ministry family from around At the beginning of 2017, Denielle was blessed with a car, the world highlighted how God has been moving on their and is now able to transport students to church and group ac- campuses. I had the opportunity to be involved in creating tivities, which offers more independence, accountability and the PCM website where we featured a new tool to connect additional fellowship.

Adventists on campus. We hope you can get connected with Because Northwestern is a prestigious university, most other Adventists on campus using it — https://pcm.adven students come from outside the area. Therefore, there is a tist.org/find-a-chapter/. risk of losing support, fellowship and accountability withLydia Muwanga is the public campus ministry webmaster and Denielle Wilson out a strong Adventist community. It is crucial for churches is a Northwestern alum. to intentionally connect with students personally and follow up with them.

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T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

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CONE IONES E N

E S P A Ñ O L

Se aproximan tres eventos especiales

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POR CARMELO MERCADO

l Departamento Multicultural de la Unión del Lago extiende una invitación a los miembros de iglesia de la Unión para que asistan a tres eventos especiales. El primer evento que deseamos anunciar es la iniciativa de la División Norteamericana de establecer miles de grupos pequeños en todas las asociaciones de la División. Para alcanzar esta

meta se han organizado reuniones de entrenamiento en grupos pequeños compuestos de laicos y pastores; el pastor Alejandro

Bullón será el instructor principal. Los pastores de la Unión del Lago recibirán primero su entrenamiento en las oficinas de la Unión del 16 al 18 de agosto. Después de este entrenamiento, Alejandro Bullón hará presentaciones a la hermandad el viernes, 18 de agosto, a las 7:00 p.m., y el sábado 19 en la mañana en el Gimnasio Johnson de la Universidad Andrews. Todos los hermanos están invitados.

El segundo evento, la Convención sobre Migrantes y Refugiados, se llevará a cabo del 13 al 16 de septiembre en la Universidad Andrews. Como ya se explicó en un artículo anterior, el evento tiene el propósito de proporcionar información e inspiración acerca del ministerio que se debe llevar a cabo con inmigrantes y refugiados. Habrá más de treinta seminarios, tanto en español como en inglés. El costo de inscripción es de $35.00. Para obtener más información e inscribirse puede visitar el sitio web www.adventsource.com, y también Facebook bajo el nombre “Mission in an Era of Migrants and Refugees”.

El tercer evento es una actividad organizada por los jóvenes llamada “Encuentros”. Es un programa que nace como iniciativa de los líderes juveniles de las diferentes asociaciones que forman la Unión del Lago. Tiene como propósito proporcionar a los jóvenes adventistas una orientación apropiada con respecto al importante tema del noviazgo.

Además, proveerá la oportunidad para que los jóvenes puedan conocerse e interactuar con el fin de lograr un “buen encuentro”. La invitación se extiende a todos los jóvenes solteros que se encuentren entre los 21 y 40 años de edad que estén dispuestos a permitir que Dios guíe su búsqueda y les dé ese “buen encuentro”.

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Los invitados especiales son el pastor Roger Hernández y su esposa Kathy quienes nos hablarán desde la experiencia del matrimonio acerca de lo que es y lo que conlleva este camino que muchos desean comenzar a recorrer. Estarán también Vanessa Hernández, hija de los esposos Hernández, y su prometido Jamil Hairston quienes hablarán desde la experiencia de un noviazgo basado en principios cristianos.

Compartirán con nosotros que sí es posible que jóvenes cristianos desarrollen un noviazgo en armonía con los planes divinos.

Este último evento se llevará a cabo del 3 al 5 de noviembre de 2017 en Camp Wakonda, en el estado de Wisconsin. Será un fin de semana completo en el que se realizarán diferentes actividades programadas para que los jóvenes disfruten de una experiencia inolvidable y vean cómo guía Dios nuestras vidas para que podamos hacer decisiones correctas. El costo total es de $120.00. Esto incluye hospedaje y comida para todo el fin de semana. Para obtener más información e inscribirse puede visitar el sitio web www.encuentroluc.com.

Pedimos sus oraciones para que muchas personas puedan ser bendecidas por estos eventos.

Carmelo Mercado es el vicepresidente de la Unión del Lago.

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TELLING GOD’S STORIES

The Good News on Campus

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BY ROXANNE DOBSON s a Michigan State University freshman, Miranda Lentz walked across campus, she noticed it was busier than usual. A throng of people congregated outside the newly-erected white tent. As she drew closer, she noticed a young woman beckoning to her. “Come, get a massage,” said the energetic, young woman. Miranda

wasn’t interested and shook her head. She noticed a prayer wall and made her way over to it.

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long, she was regularly attending small group meetings where general Bible topics were discussed. Everything was so clear, and so firmly based in the Bible, she thought. The solid Bible-based teachings made her feel comfortable. The discussions made her think of something one of her youth pastors had said about really understanding the Bible for one’s self and not just calling something he or another pastor said, good. She left that night wanting to know more.

As Miranda grew closer to Julianna, she began attending church services with the group, participating in several activities such as a trip to the Upper Peninsula. It was while on this trip that Jermaine Gayle, the associate pastor of the campus church, broached the subject of further Bible studies. Miranda readily agreed.

The studies built on each other. She was not only convicted about the truths revealed by individual studies, she Jermaine Gayle

As she decided on which marker to use on the prayer wall, another young woman joined her. The young woman, who introduced herself as Julianna Dunn, exuded an air of combined reservation, friendliness and calm, which made Miranda relax. After a few minutes talking, Julianna, a student missionary, asked, “Would you like some food?” gesturing to a table with healthy-looking wraps.

At the food table, Miranda was introduced to others in Julianna, left, with Miranda Lentz the group; she couldn’t help but think: Everyone here is really nice. Who are these people?

These people, she soon discovered, were affiliated with the Adventist Christian Fellowship group on campus.

Over the next few months, Miranda returned to the house where the group, Center for Adventist Ministry to Public University Students (C.A.M.P.U.S.), met. Her first visit was for a meal and small group meeting; before

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Harlene (standing), was rebaptized by her son Jeff. She is pictured here with Jeff Smith, program director for WAUS 90.7 FM, and his wife, Twyla, assistant professor of social work at Andrews University.

Andy Im

It was at the prayer wall at Michigan State University, like this one, that Miranda made her first connection with an Adventist student.

also was convicted by the body of studies as a whole. While some studies made her ask more questions than others, by the end, she was convinced that God was calling her to become an Adventist.

But how would she share her conviction with her family? They were already slightly uncomfortable with her hanging out with Adventists; how would she tell them about her desire to be baptized? After all, it hadn’t been just once that they made jokes about her potentially joining a cult.

Constructive conversation with her family about her decision to be baptized was impossible and, in the end, they were simply not on board with her decision. She decided to go forward anyway with the reassurance that God had called her to take a leap of faith. She had dived into understanding the Bible for herself, as her youth pastor had recommended years ago, and discovered God’s love and purpose for her life.

Recently baptized, Miranda is now heavily involved with campus ministry on the Michigan State University campus, as well as the C.A.M.P.U.S. Missionary Training Program based in East Lansing.

Everything was so clear, and so firmly based in the Bible, she thought.

The solid Bible-based teachings made her feel comfortable.

Roxanne Dobson is a campus missionary at Michigan State University.

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FA I T H N U R T U R E D I N T H E F E L L O W S H I P O F F R I E N D S

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B Y S H A N N O N K E L L Y he 31-year-old Michigan native, Cassandra McNulty, stood before a small group of women gathered for camp meeting, her soothing voice echoing God’s call for an intimate relationship with his children. “Masks put a barrier between us and God,” she said before launching into reasons to share our stories, even when they are as difficult and painful as her own.

“God wants us to use our testimony. Just like the woman at the well, he wants us to run back and tell everybody what Jesus has done for us. He wants us to be open and honest about our journeys and lives so they can ennoble and enrich our church and our young people.”

Andy Im

Cassandra’s openness in sharing her own testimony comes from a desire to help other young women avoid a similar hurt and shame she experienced during high school and continued through her early college years. Her story further illustrates the struggles of Christian youth on public campuses and journeying through life, oftentimes without firm moorings, only to fall prey to wrong choices.

Cassandra’s family moved a lot during her early years and she attended 12 different schools. The variety of schools in which she was enrolled was perhaps matched by the assortment of churches her family attended. “We went to [a variety of] churches; just things all over the place,” she recounts. “My dad very much believed that you go to the church where you feel like God is calling you and that is closest to Scripture.”

By her junior year of high school, Cassandra was immersed in an academic environment rife with partying, drug use and sex. As a Christian, she found herself feeling very much alone. An extrovert by nature, the isolation was nearly torture. “I sat alone at the lunch table for three months because I didn’t fit in,” she says. Finally, she could not take it anymore. “I started compromising in order to have friends.”

Things started harmlessly enough. Cassandra began going to parties as the desig-

nated driver. “I won’t drink,” she justified.

“I’ll be fine.” But that was Satan’s lie.

One night, Cassandra was planning to attend a college party with some of her girlfriends. Since she was the designated driver, she stopped to pick up a can of soda before arriving at the crowded place. Things went on as usual — until one accidental slip.

“I made the mistake of putting my drink down,” she says. “The next thing I know, I’m feeling really sick and dizzy.” Drawing a deep breath, she continues, “I woke up in a dark room, and I had been raped.”

The experience crushed her spirit. In the months and years afterwards, she remembers hearing voices telling her: You are dirty.

God can never love you like this! You are alone.

Cassandra finally decided that the only way she could cope was to fully participate in the activities around her. “I started down-spiraling very quickly, drinking a lot and having one relationship after the other, thinking that if I actually controlled the interactions that it would make me feel like I had control over what had happened to me,” she says. But it only made her feel worse.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Cassandra barely recognized the reflection she saw, but recognized that she needed help. She made an appointment with her church’s youth group pastor, and bared her soul to him.

I feel like God takes each individual heart and communicates with us...

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But instead of receiving the support she was expecting, she found herself being blamed for everything. He asked her questions such as: “How do you know you were raped?” “Why were you even there at the party?”

“He was basically telling me that, if it was true, it was all my fault anyway,” Cassandra remembers. “So, I left church, and I didn’t look back.”

Cassandra then moved out of her parents’ home and began attending a local community college. Deeply depressed, the former top student was struggling to make Cs. “I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know what to do.”

Although she did not recognize it at the time, God had not given her up. At the community college, Cassandra began running into old friends from her youth group.

They always treated her kindly, encouraging her to come to a college Bible study group with them. Despite the fact Cassandra continued to dismiss the invitations, they never stopped asking. Then, on a whim to placate them, Cassandra gave into their efforts and decided to check out the college’s Bible study group.

For a while, she explains that she had one foot in Bible studies and one foot in the world . . . until she heard a sermon that changed her life. Through the message of the sermon and the gentle, persistent love of her friends, Cassandra realized, “God still loved me, that I was not too far gone for him to save, and that he just desired for me to come to him.”

Falling to her knees, weeping, Cassandra begged God to rescue her. She asked God, “to cover my sins and make me whole again, to heal me, to take the anguish and the pain away.” “The crazy thing is,” she paused with a smile, “He did.”

Cassandra stopped drinking and partying, but she did not end there. “I gave my life so completely to him that I told him that I would give him my summers and do mission work.”

NEW COLLEGE, NEW COMMITTMENT When Cassandra entered the University of Michigan, she had a friend and roommate who was a Messianic Jew. Shocked by the secular environment, the girls knew they needed to be intentional in seeking out a church community.

One day, they strolled past two students who were Adventist public campus missionaries. Cassandra and her roommate heard them mentioning things like Bible studies, church service and vegetarian meals. “My room-

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mate and I just looked at each other and we were like . . .

This has to be from God.” Because her Messianic Jewish roommate kept the Sabbath and was a vegetarian, Cassandra was familiar with some aspects of Adventist practices so was fairly open to exploring Seventh-day Adventism.

She attended Bible studies and vespers on campus with her new Adventist friends and often fellowshipped with them. Still, Cassandra was more comfortable with her Sunday-keeping, non-denominational upbringing, so she frequented a more traditional non-denominational church. Eventually, this church offered Cassandra a job leading their missions in Africa after her graduation. Africa Studies was her major course of study at the University of Michigan, and she was thrilled. This was her dream job!

However, she realized that if she were to represent a church, she needed to be sure that she believed everything her church taught. She began praying for God to lead and show her whether this was the church he wanted her to be in. Bit by bit, God began impressing Cassandra that some things in this church were not aligned with his ways, leading her to study the Bible fervently for answers.

As she studied, the topic of the Sabbath kept coming up, driving Cassandra to ask her Adventist friends more serious questions about their faith. They happily obliged.

“They never made me feel like a project,” Cassandra says gratefully. “They were friends. . . . It wasn’t like a ‘come to my Bible study’ . . . or, ‘come to an evangelistic series.’ They were building a relationship with me. They invested in me!”

In December of 2007, Cassandra accompanied her friends to a Generation of Youth for Christ meeting; there, she was fully convicted that God wanted her in the Adventist church.

“It was just amazing,” she marvels. “I feel like God takes each individual heart and communicates with us what he wants us to know and be impressed by. There were different things that God was prodding on my heart, that this is the church that he wanted me to be in, so I let my friends know.”

Cassandra’s Adventist friends were thrilled and gave her Bible studies on the major pillars of Adventism to help deepen her understanding of the faith. Cassandra was baptized the following April. “I was so impressed by how much they knew their Bibles, and how firm their

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Andy Im

Cassandra shared her testimony at the Lake Union Public Campus Ministry launch in Michigan last fall.

understanding was of what they believed,” she recalls.

“There was an aspect of God’s character that I didn’t understand until I came to the Adventist Church.”

Cassandra credits God for using her friends as instruments in her journey, modeling Christ’s love and cultivating relationships with her rather than preaching at her. She is now an advocate of the campus ministries that changed her life, going as far as serving as a campus missionary at the University of Michigan, and likens the mission to the Bible story of the friends who brought their paraplegic friend to Jesus for healing. “Scripture says that when Jesus saw their faith, their friend was made whole,” she explains. “And it wasn’t because of the faith of the paraplegic; it was because of the faith of his friends. I think that that is the power behind Campus Ministries specifically . . . ministering to those there that

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know Jesus, but don’t have a full picture, or those that have not even met him. And developing those relationships, and building those bridges, and modeling Christ to them and showing them God’s Word . . . you’re able to bring them to the feet of Jesus. And through your faith, people are made whole.”

“God does amazing things in all of our lives,” she concludes, “when we surrender our lives to him. That’s the one thing that I have to remind myself of — that it’s not my story, it’s his story. That’s what a testimony is. It’s the story of how he saved us.”

Shannon Kelly is a journalism student at Andrews University.

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Lake Union Public Campus Ministries

Wisconsin

1. University of Wisconsin, Madison 46,407 2. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 32,406 3. Madison Area Technical College, Madison 21,144 4. University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh 16,051 5. University of Wisconsin, Whitewater 13,856

Illinois

1. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 48,250 2. University of Illinois, Chicago 31,015 3. DePaul University, Chicago 29,001 4. Northwestern University, Evanston 25,325 5. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb 24,215

Largest Universities

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National University Rankings

(HOW Universities in the Lake Union rank nationally)

#3 University of Chicago #12 Northwestern University #15 University of Notre Dame of Michigan, #27 University Ann Arbor University of Illinois, #44 Urbana-Champaign TIE University of Wisconsin, #44 Madison TIE https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities

Michigan

1. Michigan State University, East Lansing 54,857 2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 45,295 3. Wayne State University, Detroit 33,747 4. Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant 30,683 5. Grand Valley State University, Allendale 28,721

Indiana

1. Indiana University, Bloomington 50,692 2. Purdue University, West Lafayette 42,781 3. Indiana University–Purdue, Indianapolis 37,027 4. Ball State University, Muncie 23,275 5. Vincennes University, Vincennes 22,753

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Lake Union Cities Ranked Among 50 Most Educated in America

#1

#5

#15

#25

#29

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Madison, Wisconsin

Bloomington, Indiana

East Lansing, Michigan

Chicago/Naperville/ Elgin, Illinois

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-educated-cities/6656/#main-findings

Public Campus Ministry in the Lake Union

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Ministers in Public Campus Ministry There are 21 ministers and laypeople currently involved in actively supporting and overseeing public campus ministry in our union

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Center Center for Adventist Ministry to Public University Students (C.A.M.P.U.S.)

University Churches/ Church(es) of Refuge University Church, East Lansing (Michigan State University) Campus Hope Fellowship, Ann Arbor (University of Michigan) Bloomington Church, Bloomington (Indiana University)

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CAMPUS st HOSTed MINISTRY WEEKEND

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Host of 1st Annual Global Public Campus Ministry Weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan

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MISSION TO THE CITIES

If only the 5 largest universities in each of our conferences were a city, they would be the 24th largest city in the U.S.    

It would be almost the size of Detroit (677,116) It would be the third largest city in our union There are 655,770 people living in Memphis, Tennessee There are 1.2 million students in the Lake Union with only 20 campus ministries to meet their spiritual, professional, and social needs

Leadership GOALS Israel Ramos

Andy Im

Lake Union coordinator Michigan associate and Michigan director director

John Leis Indiana coordinator (Bloomington lay pastor)

Jermaine Gayle Zakia Jarrett Michigan C.A.M.P.U.S. Lake Region program director coordinator

Robert & Jackie Jose Medina Illinois coordinator Mosher Wisconsin coordinators

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In November 2016, the Lake Union Public Campus Ministries voted:

Lake Union Conference Public Campus Ministries exists to:

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Strengthen and develop local conference public campus ministry.

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Establish and grow Church of Refuge (COR) or University churches.

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Create a training center and system to serve our Lake Union students, pastors and leaders.

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Network through the Lake Union Herald, web and database.

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For over 50 years, the sewing circle at Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale has met and made pillows for pediatric patients. The current members are Darlene Baghdadi, Jennie Herlien, Joyce Jessen, Dorothy Koopman, Vivian Lindel, Savi Matta, Alice Olson, Sheila Schau and Violette Zezelic.

Adventist sewing circle stands the test of time

There are two ways you can associate longevity with the sewing circle that meets Tuesday mornings at Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale.

First, the circle has been meeting and making pillows for pediatric patients for over 50 years.

Second, several of the present members are in their 90s. But the informal leader of the group is Sheila Schau of Burr Ridge. At 57, she is by far the youngest. A retired elementary school art teacher, Schau joined the group two years ago, after her husband passed away at Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale.

“I was volunteering in the gift shop when some of the ladies from the sewing circle came in and invited me to join them,” Schau said. “I wanted to use my art background as well as my

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hands. It seemed like a very good fit.

I went in to see how everything was done, and I’ve been sewing ever since.

We just love it.”

The sewing circle produces hand-embroidered cat and dog pillows which are given to patients on the pediatric unit at Hinsdale. Each pillow takes about three hours to embroider, and another hour to finish with handstitching. Some of the adults who come onto the pediatric unit recall getting a pillow as a child.

The group also makes what they call “froggies,” covers made of soft flannel for premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. In addition, the group makes little pillows for chemo patients to place over the seatbelt strap in their cars to make the ride more comfortable.

Jennie Herlien, 95, is presently the oldest member of the group (although the record for oldest active member is 99, set a few years ago). The Clarendon

Hills resident has been in the sewing circle for 17 years.

“I was in Hinsdale Hospital for treatment of a fracture, and I got interested in volunteering,” Herlien said. “I wanted to do something with my time, and help people. I started by delivering letters to the patients, but there wasn’t enough to do. I went to the former volunteer director and she told me, ‘the sewing ladies need your help.’”

Schau says that being a member of the sewing group has helped her deal with the grief of losing her husband.

He died suddenly two years ago from complications of a skin disease that affected his lungs.

“Jennie lost her husband at a young age, and she has helped me a lot,” Schau said. “I have enjoyed being able to give back to the hospital and to others. When I finish a pillow, I know that I am making a child’s day a little bit brighter, and that’s what volunteering is all about.”

By Julie Busch, AMITA Health associate vice president of Communications

Each pillow takes about three hours to embroider, and another hour to finish with handstitching.

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Darren Heslop

Alexandria Edge was baptized at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, and said, “I hope to continue in the tradition that Andrews has taught me: Careful thoughtfulness about my faith and how it affects every aspect of my life.”

Access to Truth My time at Andrews is characterized by thoughtfulness: a mixture of mindfulness, eagerness to learn and an integration of ideas.

It started with a simple question during freshman orientation week: What is present truth? As I plunged into the world of Western Heritage, an introductory Honors class, I was exposed to a combination of philosophy, history and literature that highlighted the growth of Western thought.

It introduced me to a wide range of influential figures whose ideas stimulated questions in my life: What do I think? Why do I think that? What role is God playing in my life? I was fascinated as we traced the basis of our beliefs back hundreds of years, and as I saw how Western worldviews have both changed and stayed the same over all that time. I could even see in our

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study of Adventist history how decades had proven the idea that our access to truth grows when we as humans grow, both individually and collectively.

This teaching of thoughtfulness spread across disciplines. My science classes placed a special emphasis on how we’ve gotten to the theories we use today, and how, even now, we are expanding our knowledge of the universe. For example, our basic understanding of the universe has profoundly grown from earth, fire, air and water to quarks and leptons. Even with all of that, we still have room to grow.

Thoughtfulness as a way of life also spread into my spiritual journey. One speaker in particular, David Asscherick, broke down and rebuilt the way I viewed Adventism. He connected me back to its foundation: God is love.

This dovetailed smoothly into the topics of God’s nature and perichoresis recently discussed in Western

Heritage. With all of these explorative opportunities, I grew in faith.

The rest of my college experience was imbued with this same thoughtfulness. I’ve looked at changes in colonial thought and cultural identity in classes such as Literature and the Arts and What is Other. I’ve been exposed to the movement from Newtonian to Einsteinian to quantum physics in my science classes. Two of my favorite classes, Cosmos and Physics & Faith, analyzed how science and philosophy of religion evolved to separate and conflicting interpretations. Every semester, I see more of the world and the ebb and flow of ideologies. So many of the questions I didn’t even know I had were answered by the thoughtfulness woven into everyday life at Andrews.

Before coming to Andrews, I was on the verge of leaving the church. I grew up Adventist, and while I had the knowledge of our beliefs, I didn’t have the ‘whys.’ I saw a broken system that tried to shelter me from wanting to question its fundaments. I didn’t see how far we’d come — the rich history of conflict and growth that got us to where we are. I didn’t see that, even now, we can and are still changing.

Just as my experience at Andrews has taught me the process of learning, praying and growing, I want to be a part of the Adventist church as it continues to do the same. I can contribute to our spiritual progress. That (as I come to the end of my time in college) is the answer to that initial question: “What is present truth?”

Becky St. Clair is Media Communication manager at Andrews University.

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NEWS

[CONFERENCE NEWS]

GC 2020 plans for Indianapolis unveiled Indiana—In less than three years, the Indiana Conference will have the unique opportunity to host the 61st General Conference session in 2020.

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Gary Burns

Illinois—Ron Aguilera was elected as the new president of the Illinois Conference. He assumed the role July 1, after a four-year stint as vice president of administration in the Illinois Conference.

In noting Aguilera’s successful history in educational, pastoral and administrative leadership, Lake Union Conference president, Don Livesay, said, “The election process revealed strong appreciation of his leadership skills from both pastors and lay leadership members of the electing committee.”

Over the span of Aguilera’s 32 years of ministry experience, he has been a senior pastor of a large, multi-staff church, pastor of a single church district, associate pastor, youth pastor, academy teacher, adjunct college teacher and Conference associate ministerial director.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Southern Adventist University and a master’s degree in Leadership and Administration from Austin Peay State University.

After accepting the position, Aguilera said his goal for Illinois Conference members is “to work together to fulfill the Gospel Commission found in Matthew 28:19, 20, to go and make disciples of all people: to reach people for Christ, by proclaiming the everlasting

Supplied by Illinois Conference

New leadership elected in the Illinois Conference

Ron Aguilera

John Grys

Gospel, the good news, articulated by the Three Angels’ messages (Revelation 14:6–12).”

Aguilera is married to Lori, the associate superintendent of education and special education director for the Illinois Conference.

He replaces Ray Pichette, who, after 14 years in administration, decided to spend his final years in ministry serving at the local church as a senior pastor in Zephyrhills, Fla. The nominating committee also voted to elect John Grys as the new executive secretary of the Illinois Conference.

As a son of Illinois, Grys grew up in the city of Chicago and graduated from Broadview Academy. His pastoral ministry has included churches in Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, California and Washington State.

He has served as ministerial director in Illinois and associate ministerial director for the North American

Division. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree with an emphasis in Leadership from Andrews University in 2011 and currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University.

“Elder John Grys has already shown a strong connection with the pastors of the Illinois Conference,” said Don Livesay, Lake Union Conference president. “His leadership abilities lend to credible outcomes and meaningful relationships.”

His wife, Cristina Matos-Grys, currently serves as a chaplain at AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center, Bolingbrook.

More than 80,000 members from around the world will gather in Indianapolis’s Lucas Oil Stadium to hear reports from various divisions and vote on items that will affect the world church.

After two days of prayer and planning at Camp Timber Ridge, the

Indiana Conference is moving forward with plans for evangelism and training leading up to the GC session.

Here are some details on the vision:

Debbie Michel, associate director of Communication, Lake Union Conference

Evangelistic Meetings

Just before the session occurs, every church in the Indiana conference will

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hold evangelistic meetings in their own churches presented by a pastor, elder, evangelist or another member of the church. The meetings will all take place simultaneously, allowing for lower costs as well as the synergy that comes from working together in unity.

Health Expo

In April 2020, a Pathway to Health weekend will be held in Indianapolis.

Free medical, dental and vision care will be provided to thousands who are in need. In addition, over the next three years there will be training offered in different regions of the conference to equip members for personal and public evangelism.

It is Written Broadcast Series

In the last few months, there has been discussions with It Is Written (IIW)

TV ministry to conduct two major series in Indianapolis in 2020 — one in Spanish and one in English. For the past year IIW has aired on Saturday nights throughout Indiana on TV channel 40.1. It is hoped that as people regularly watch the IIW program, they will become familiar with John Bradshaw and the Adventist message, making them more apt to come and hear him in person. In addition, Bradshaw also will be the featured speaker for the 2018 Indiana Camp Meeting.

The last time Indiana hosted a General Conference session was in 1990. At that time, the church membership was close to eight million worldwide. More than 1,700 were joining the church every day. The ratio of Adventist to non-Adventist in the world was 1:795.

NEWS

Almost 30 years later the membership is close to 20 million, with over 3,500 members joining daily. The ratio of Adventist to non-Adventist worldwide is 1:375.

“Clearly, God is on the move in these last days,” says Vic Van Schaik, Indiana Conference ministerial secretary. “It makes one wonder what we will see happening in the church by the next GC session. Based on divine counsel, we haven’t seen anything yet!”

The Indiana Conference invites you to fervently join us in prayer as we seek God’s will and direction in preparing for 2020. Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6 KJV).

Vic Van Schaik, Indiana Conference ministerial secretary

[ E D U C AT I O N N E W S ]

Seven students were baptized following a student-led week of spiritual emphasis last April at Indiana Academy where students were guided in a journey of messages through the steps of daily Christian living.

The week’s theme, “Following Him,” used the outline in Steps to Christ and culminated with a special Sabbath at the nearby Cool Creek State Park. In the afternoon, the seven students were baptized at the Cicero Church. Having participated in baptismal Bible studies with faculty and staff throughout the semester, the students chose this week to be baptized so they could publicly testify of their love for Jesus to their peers.

But, before their baptisms, they addressed the crowd of family, student

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Amber Kwon

Student-led ministry and baptisms at Indiana Academy

At the end of Student Week of Prayer, seven Indiana Academy students publically vowed their faith in Jesus and were baptized. The students, from left to right, are Khristina Castle, Beverly Owusu Asante, Melanie Taina, Tyra Castle, Claudia Kayitenkore, Ashley Alto and Jordan Matchette.

body and church members, emphasizing what coming to know and love Jesus personally has done in their lives.

Junior student Tyra Castle said that Indiana Academy was where she found Jesus and said, “It felt good to make the decision in front of my friends.”

Claudia Kayitenkore, also a junior, hoped that her decision would serve as a role model to her peers. “Many of my friends are not closely following God and I hoped that my taking this

step could be an example to them,” she said.

These students typify the desire for witness; Castle already has begun giving Bible studies to a friend in the dorm.

Several students also have voiced interest in having increased opportunities for ministry off-campus.

Indiana Academy students are a witness to the benefits of following the counsel to rightly train youth for the cause of a crucified, risen and returning

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Myint, a freshman student speaker, said, “I felt God changing me as he was using me.”

If you are interested in having these young members minister to your local

church, please don’t hesitate to contact Indiana Academy.

Jordan Reichert is a Bible and history teacher at Indiana Academy.

Jean-Irés Michel

Savior. Josh Smith, a senior, said, “When it’s a peer leading out, you can relate to them better, because you know that they are going through the same types of things.” Meanwhile, Htet

Lake Region Conference President Clifford Jones with the teachers who were Teachers recognized were: (Front row) Janelle Ruba, Liisa Fults, Amanda Hasty, Lisa commissioned: Pam Britton, Lynnette Jefferson, Larry Key, Scott Johnson, Marie Smith Rhodes, Amber Bower; (back row) Rita Wagner (retired and honored for years of service), Karen Shinn, Kenneth Smith, Steven Baughman, Arthur Miller

[CONFERENCE NEWS]

Indiana and Lake Region conferences commission teachers at camp meetings For the first time in memory, Indiana and Lake Region conferences held a special service at their respective camp meetings, recognizing exemplary teachers for their dedication to Adventist Christian education.

The criteria for determining eligibility for commissioning is that each teacher must have taught successfully for a minimum of six years, have current North American Division Denominational Certification, and demonstrate proficiency in assigned responsibilities. They also should positively support the fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and shown a keen sense of Christian responsibility for nurturing and leading students to Christ.

Nine teachers were honored at the Indiana Camp Meeting on June 17.

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They were: Steven Baughman, Indiana Academy Amber Bower, Indianapolis Southside Christian Academy Liisa Fults, Cicero Adventist Elementary Amanda Hasty, Cicero Adventist Elementary Arthur Miller, Indiana Academy Lisa Rhodes, Cross Street Christian School Janelle Ruba, Adventist Christian Elementary Karen Shinn, Terra Haute Adventist School Kenneth Smith, Indiana Academy In recognizing their achievements, Indiana Conference’s education superintendent Nicole Mattson said that it’s important to affirm and commend these teachers for their sacrifice. “It also reminds them,” she said, “of their solemn duty and life-changing influence they have on our young people. In doing so, they also are reminded of their responsibility to stay close to God as they make such an important impact.”

At Lake Region’s Camp Meeting on June 24, five teachers were recognized for their high level of excellence. They were: Pamela Britton, Peterson-Warren Academy Lynette Jefferson, Peterson-Warren Academy Scott Johnson, Chicago Elementary Larry Key, Peterson-Warren Academy Marie Smith, Chicago Elementary Lake Region’s education superintendent Renee Humphreys, who oversaw the commissioning service, said, “These teachers were recognized because we believe in their ministry and wanted them to know we love them and that what they do is greatly appreciated.” She continued, “Adventist educators are of great significance as they help to prepare students for here and eternity.”

Debbie Michel, associate director of Communication, Lake Union Conference

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

NEWS

Vi s i t w w w. h e r a l d . l a k e u n i o n . o r g

Pictured from left to right: R. Clifford Jones, Lake Region Conference president; Raymond McEntee, attorney; Yvonne Collins, Lake Region Conference treasurer; Alexandra George, law clerk; Alén Takhsh, attorney; Michael G. Ibrahim, attorney; Timothy Nixon, Lake Region Conference executive secretary

negative PR, and that it would require a specific court order to do so.

Alén Takhsh, another immigration attorney, said that while the Obama administration performed more deportations (primarily immigrants with felony criminal records) than any other administration to date, now there’s clearly a backlash against all undocumented immigrants. “Everybody is a criminal,” he said, “not just those immigrants who may have committed heinous crimes.”

Takhsh spelled out the different avenues parents can take to put in place legal guardianship for their children in the event that the parents face deportation.

He revealed that he was once a “voiceless” refugee and it was his privilege to “fight the good fight” for those now silenced by fear.

Raymond McEntee was one of the lawyers who raced to the airport when the travel restrictions were initially put in place last January. He found an Iranian man, a green card holder, whose wife and daughter were stuck in limbo trying to return home to the U.S. Iran was one of the six countries whose residents were banned from entering the U.S. McEntee chronicled

the lower courts overturning the ban, which eventually provided opportunity for the Iranian family to be reunited in the U.S. Law clerk Alexandra George encouraged the audience to communicate with their elected officials and help protect the individual rights of everyone. “This fight is my fight, too,” she said.

The event was planned and moderated by Timothy Nixon, executive secretary of the Lake Region Conference, who said, “Hebrews 13:2 reminds us to entertain strangers because we may be entertaining ‘angels’ unawares. And, so, there are many reasons for Christians to stand with and defend the voiceless, the stranger and immigrant, who is be singled out and unfairly attacked during these troubling times.”

Debbie Michel, associate director of Communication, Lake Union Conference

Gary Burns

Lake Region—Amidst growing concerns of church members and their families impacted by the Trump administration’s changing policies on immigration, the Lake Region Conference held an immigration symposium to answer questions and provide practical and accurate legal information.

A panel of immigration law experts convened at Shiloh Church in Chicago on Sunday, June 11, for an informative session on topics ranging from: the executive travel restriction order preventing travelers from certain predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States; protecting the children of parents who face possible deportation; providing clarity regarding “sanctuary” cities and churches; and how to engage in the discussion with elected representatives.

Michael Ibrahim, an attorney specializing in family and immigration law, said that the executive order has greatly changed the way he practices law. “I see asylum seekers unable to get release from custody, unable to get bond,” he said, noting the inflexibility of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials.

He listed the areas covered by the executive order and shared his concerns on the expansion in deportations, as well as the threats to strip federal funding from sanctuary cities such as Chicago that refuse to participate in enforcing the federal order. During the Q & A, Ibrahim explained further that ICE agents are not likely to arrest anyone on church grounds because of the

Gary Burns

Lake Region Conference hosts Immigration Awareness Forum

Attorney Alén Takhsh

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Leona Stanton

NEWS

Over 200 ladies from churches in the Michigan Conference District 12 and Lake Region gathered for a day of spiritual renewal.

Ladies cultivate the gardens of their hearts Michigan—The “Garden of My Heart” was the theme for the first-ever Metro Detroit women’s day experience, hosted by the women of the Metropolitan Church. Over 200 ladies from 12 different churches from the Michigan Conference District 12 and Lake Region, including churches as far away as Kalamazoo and Berrien Springs, gathered for the occasion on April 29.

The women’s day festivities began with Metro’s Ginger Bentley introducing the events of the day by building an analogy between a pretty flower garden and our own hearts. Ginger’s comparison

Refugees receive lay seminary training Indiana—After nearly a year-long training in small groups ministry, the first Burmese refugee cohort graduated from the Adventist lay seminary program.

Complete with the usual regalia, the group of 40 men and women marched

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showed where weeds in a garden are like sins in our hearts. Just like weeds left to grow without the diligent work of a gardener ruin the flower garden, sins devastate our hearts if left to grow without “the Gardener of our heart,” our Lord’s careful tugging and pulling. The last line of Ginger’s introduction set the focus of the day’s activities, “If you have known Christ for a life time and are still covered in weeds, ask him to pull them out by the roots so they will not grow back. Water your garden every day by spending time with the one that loves you, that created you, and promises to save you.”

Two ladies’ Sabbath school classes were taught, one on the prophetess Deborah, based on the studies from Women in the Bible ... and Me study guides, and the other class on Living for God, from the study of Peter’s epistles from the Sabbath school lesson quarterly.

There were also the regular children’s Sabbath school classes, as well as a specially designed class for teen girls on Spiritual Gifts. Additionally, there were classes for teen boys and male young adults.

The worship hour featured Lake Union women’s ministry director Barbara Livesay, presenting a message entitled, “Why Am I Here in the Garden,” which focused on being kind. Even if we may not possess talents and skills, we can all still be kind.

The afternoon’s sessions provided the fertilizer to enrich the ladies’ own garden of the heart. One seminar provided input on how to become stronger in personal Bible studies. Battle Creek Academy teacher Kalicia Clements shared her artistic talents and provided very artful lessons on Bible Journaling with a Twist.

Deedra Thomas, from Detroit City Temple, explained how her life was changed for the better when she began eating healthfully and exercising more, leading to a physically stronger garden for the Lord. Amy Austin of the Centerville Church enthusiastically presented several techniques for sharing Jesus with others, where our garden heart becomes stronger and more resilient to temptation. Lastly, Metro’s Shirley Brezzell provided methods on how to care for caregivers while caring for infirmed, ailing family members. In essence, she advised allowing time for our own garden’s nourishment so as not to become weakened both physically and spiritually to the point where we cannot help anyone.

Besides the afternoon sessions for the ladies, Metro women presented a Fruit of the Spirit children’s program for more than 20 children.

down the aisle to “Pomp and Circumstance” at their graduation held during the Indiana Camp Meeting on Global Refugee Day, June 16.

Carmelo Mercado, vice-president of Multi-ethnic Ministries in the Lake Union Conference, says that the training program grew out of a request by refugee pastors last summer who wanted their

members to receive training aimed at ministering to their burgeoning population. The Institute of Hispanic Ministry, a department in the Theological Seminary at Andrews University, has conducted this type of training over the years and was a natural fit to train the refugees.

Participants in the small group classes received specialized training in various

Joy Hyde, member of the Metropolitan Church

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Jean-Irés Michel

NEWS

The graduates were Ywa Hay Tha, Teemu Pweh, Bo Beh, July Paw, Lalmuansanga Chawngthu, Lalthangveli Chawngthu, Lalthanmawia John, Zodin Sanga Hualngo, Lalsangmuana Bochung, Mavunga Chawngthu, Laldawngliana Bochung, Chianga Vuite, Sena Chawngdingliana Chawngthu, Fela Vanlalfela Colney, Lalzidinga Chawnghlut, Lal Hlim Puii, Grace P Chawnghlut, Malsawm Dawngi, Lal Mawi, Diana Fel, Robert Renga Chawngthu, Benjamin Thanga, Vanlalhruaia Singson, Abigail Lalhunmawii, Pek Sangi, Lal Eng Kima, Lal Muan Puia, Lal Rem Sanga , Sofia Lalrindiki, Lal Biak Khuma, Lalthanzami Ralte, Jo Silas Naing, Thoung Shwe, Soe Kmaw, Eh Soe, Sb Ngaih Cin, Dal Sian Khup, Suan Khan Khai, and Donald Starlin. They are pictured here with Don Livesay, Lake Union Conference president; Maurice Valentine, Lake Union Conference executive secretary; Carmelo Mercado, Lake Union Conference vice-president; Glynn Scott, Lake Union Conference treasurer; Trudi Starlin, refugee advocate; and Eduard Schmidt, associate director, North American Division Evangelism Institute

aspects of small group ministry such as effective small group leadership and how to invite people to join small groups.

Grace Chawnghlut of the Indianapolis Mizo group was one of the trainees and appreciated that she was required to put into practice what she learned.

Her chosen fieldwork consisted of home visits to several non-Adventist young women. This strategic personal evangelism paid off when one of the young women was baptized last February. “This

has been a good experience,” she says beaming with joy, while clutching her graduation certificate.

Mercado says he was impressed with the level of commitment from the refugees who traveled once a month to Berrien Springs from places such as Grand Rapids, Mich., Indianapolis, Ind., Rockford, Ill., and Fort Wayne, Ind. “They love being Adventists and want to share their faith with others,” he says.

“It’s my conviction that we need to do

all we can to help them share their faith with others.”

The graduates, who currently reside in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, are former refugees from the Burmese, Chin, Karen, Mizo and Zomi groups.

It is estimated that 45,000 refugees from Burma currently reside in the Lake Union territory.

Debbie Michel, associate director of Communication, Lake Union Conference

Michigan—In their largest attendance to date, more than 650 women from around the Lake Union gathered for the biennial Hispanic Women’s Ministry Convention.

During the three-day event, which transpired on the weekend of June 2–4 on the campus of Andrews University, participants had the opportunity to receive informational workshops, devotionals, inspiring music, enrichment

Vi s i t w w w. h e r a l d . l a k e u n i o n . o r g

Jean-Irés Michel

Hispanic women gather to “Arise and Shine”

Katia Reinert, associate director of Health Ministries of the General Conference presented at the Hispanic Women’s Congress held at Andrews University.

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Jean-Irés Michel

NEWS

Motivational speaker Diana Jaworski presented a workshop series on the topic, “Precious Pearls.”

materials, succulent meals, and essentially enjoy camaraderie between the sisters.

A special and varied program was presented; the speakers, Katia Reinert, Health Ministries associate director at the General Conference, and Diana Jaworski, motivational speaker, centered all their presentations on the theme, “Women, Arise and Shine, Your Redemption is Near.” The theme served as a reminder to the ladies of the Heavenly Father’s great love, the redemptive grace of Jesus and his victory on the cross, and the great gift of the Holy Spirit who guides them day-by-day on this pilgrimage. In addition, the presenters highlighted the individuality and the

unique identity of each woman and how God can use them in their great work of evangelism.

At the conclusion of the event, the ladies demonstrated satisfaction, were very grateful, and expressed that they had been blessed during the weekend. While most emphasized the event’s great organization and the unity they had experienced, many mentioned the event had exceeded their expectations, and others expressed reaffirmation of their faith. Finally, they asked when the next retreat would take place.

For more information on future events, check with your local conference’s Women’s Ministry department.

Rosa del Valle is the director of the Lake Union Conference Hispanic Women’s Ministry.

[NAD NEWS]

A group of Sabbath school practitioners, curricula developers, media producers, university professors, and conference, union, and division youth and young adult ministries directors met on May 9–11 to discuss what many are seeing as a crisis in Earliteen, Youth and Young Adult Sabbath school across the North American Division. The group convened on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich., to pray, discuss, strategize and commit to the re-visioning, reshaping, rebuilding and re-launching of Sabbath school ministry for our young people.

The collaborative event, called 180° Symposium, was hosted by the Center for Youth Evangelism with sponsorship from the North American Division Youth and Young Adult Ministries,

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Anthony Ponterio

Symposium examines the crisis in Sabbath school in North America A group of Sabbath school practitioners, curricula developers, media producers, university professors, and conference, union, and division youth and young adult ministries directors met to discuss what many are seeing as a crisis in Earliteen, Youth and Young Adult Sabbath school across the North American Division.

Andrews University, Lake Union Conference and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. [http://bit.ly/2s CYE for information on 180° Symposium speakers.]

The Sabbath school “crisis” is multifaceted. Very few conferences and unions provide Sabbath school leader training for Earliteen, Youth or Young Adult Sabbath school ministry. Because of the many ministries that youth and young adult departments already lead (Adventurers, Pathfinders, Master Guide, summer camp, youth, young adults and

public campus ministry), it has been difficult to add Earliteen, Youth and Young Adult Sabbath school to the list of responsibilities for youth directors.

Sabbath school resources such as Guide and Insight magazines continue to decrease in subscriptions, thereby making it a huge financial challenge for continued publication. And, the purpose and focus of Sabbath school has become unclear in many churches across the division as attendance continues to drop.

For two days of the symposium, leaders made 15-minute presentations

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Vi s i t w w w. h e r a l d . l a k e u n i o n . o r g

longer be produced after the June 3, 2017 edition. No Adventist Church publication has included the lessons of the Collegiate Quarterly for young adults.

The recommendations from the symposium group focused on providing additional creative and relevant resources for Sabbath school leaders that will help them become more successful than ever before.

There is, again, a need for collaboration among resource developers in the areas of writing, technology, production and marketing, while intentionally involving youth and young adults in the process.

Sabbath school training for local church leaders has been provided by conference youth directors who have actual experience themselves, and have responded to a desperate cry from Sabbath school leaders and/or parents for help. The Symposium group that focused on leader training and development came up with six recommendations that will need to be developed over the next months. Again, it will take collaboration among Sabbath school practitioners, youth directors, educators and, most importantly, youth to create and facilitate effective training of the resources that will be developed.

It is imperative that youth and young adults are involved in the process of re-visioning, reshaping, rebuilding and re-launching Earliteen, Youth and Young Adult Sabbath school because it is all about them.

Can we “give them the keys?” Can they open these doors? Will we involve them as never before in the re-visioning of Sabbath school? Will they give suggestions of how to rebrand Sabbath school in ways that are relevant to them?

The purpose of the online articles and the book is to encourage more leaders and, even more importantly, youth and young adults to participate in

NEWS

re-visioning, reshaping, rebuilding, and relaunching Earliteen, Youth, and Young Adult Sabbath school ministry throughout the North American Division.

Teens and young adults should engage in conversations with their pastor and Sabbath school leaders about what will make their Sabbath school more relevant for them. Pastors should engage in conversation with their conference president and youth directors about what their teens and young adults are telling them. Conference presidents and youth directors should share with their union president and union youth director about what they are hearing from their conference leaders. And, union presidents and youth leaders should discuss with NAD administration and youth leaders about what they have heard will best meet the needs of their teens and young adults. We all are listening because Sabbath school matters!

If you are a Sabbath school leader for grades 9–12, invite your youth to join the conversation around Youth Sabbath School at #SDAYouthVoices. The NAD Youth Ministries department would like to hear from you. Send us a message through our Facebook page. And if you would like to join a Youth Sabbath School Pilot Project that provides additional teacher resources through AdventSource, go to: https://www.survey monkey.com/r/youthsabbathschool.

Tracy Wood is associate director for Youth Ministries at the North American Division.

Gerardo Oudri

followed by discussions based on papers and articles they had written covering a vast range of issues relevant to the current Sabbath school crisis. These articles and papers will soon be available online at www.cye/180.org. A book containing the articles soon will be published by AdventSource. This book will be similar to the ones published from previous 180° Symposiums.

On the third day, participants were divided into groups to strategize from what was presented and formulate recommendations for addressing the crisis.

One group focused on the administrative needs and shifts needed to make Sabbath school ministry the primary focus of youth ministries at the churches, the conferences, the unions, and the division.

The refocusing of youth ministry on Sabbath school is a huge challenge that will need youth leaders, administrators and educators at all levels of the church collaborating to create the structural and financial answers to the Sabbath school crisis.

The overall goal is to encourage church, conference, union and division youth directors and leaders to refocus Sabbath school ministry as the foundational component of Youth Ministry and reposition all activities and events to grow out of Sabbath school ministry at the local church — while involving youth and young adults in the process.

Another group focused on the critical needs of Sabbath school resources available for the local church Earliteen, Youth and Young Adult Sabbath school leaders.

Quarterlies and teacher guides for each age level are provided by the General Conference, but that is all. The Earliteen Sabbath school lessons (RealTime Faith) were embedded into each issue of Guide until January 2017. The Youth Sabbath school lessons (Cornerstone) have been embedded into Insight, but Insight will no

Tracy Wood (left) and Armando Miranda talk about the Sabbath school “crisis” in North America during the 180° Symposium on May 9–11.

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Announcements

Churches, schools, conferences, institutions and organizations may submit announcements to the Lake Union Herald through their local conference communication directors. An easy way to do this is to visit the Lake Union Herald website at http:// www.herald.lakeunion.org and submit the announcement online. Readers may verify dates and times of programs with the respective sources, as these events are subject to change. Submission eligibility guidelines are listed at http://www.herald.lakeunion.org.

Andrews University

Indiana

Andrews University Summer Grad-

South Bend Junior Academy in Indiana is celebrating our 100th year on Sept.

23–24!! Register online at http://www. oursbja.com or call 574-287-3713.

And LIKE us on Facebook—South Bend Junior Academy. Save the date. Don’t miss it!!

uation: Aug. 4–6. For full schedule of events and weekend details, visit http://andrews.edu/graduation.

RESCHEDULED: The Natural Remedies & Hydrotherapy Workshop scheduled for Aug. 6–11 at Andrews University has been rescheduled for Spring 2018. Details will be provided as soon as they become available.

Indiana

es this year are: 1967, ’77, ’87, ’92, ’97, 2007, ’12, ’17. Please contact the alumni office or alumni president,

new undergraduate students: Aug. 20

Lester Pitogo, at lester.pitogo.94@live.

in the Howard Performing Arts Center.

com for questions regarding reunion

For more information, visit http://

locations or related inquiries.

enroll@andrews.edu.

Andrews University FIRST STOP for all transfer students: Aug. 24. For more information, email enroll@andrews .edu.

Indiana Academy invites all alumni and friends to participate in the 27th Annual Golf Classic on Oct. 13. The event will be held at Pebble Brook Golf Club in Noblesville. To register, please contact Bill Summitt, ’82, Golf Classic chair, at iagolfclassic@gmail.com.

Andrews University fall semester

Lake Region

begins: Aug. 28.

Care for Cuba: Out of the 100 pastors and 300 Bible workers in Cuba, only a few have cars. Most are missing crucial resources like computers, projectors, books and children’s ministry resources. You can help. Support ministry in Cuba by giving to one or more of the projects listed on their website http://careforcuba.org. Your donation is 100% tax deductible. Don’t have enough for one project? Donate any amount and put it towards the project of your choice. Help us bring a spiritual renewal and movement similar to the revival that was experienced in Russia in the 1980s. Let’s bring Jesus to communist Cuba! For more information, call 269-471-3538 or email mdivstudytour@andrews.edu.

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Homecoming

Andrews University FIRST STOP for

andrews.edu/undergrad or email

32

Academy

Weekend is Oct. 13–14. Honor class-

2017 Lake Region Conference TLT Boot Camp—Raising the Bar—M&M. Join us for our 7th Annual Lake Region Conference TLT Boot Camp held at Camp Wagner, 19088 Brownsville Rd., Cassopolis, Mich., Nov. 3–5. Goals: to help staff improve their mentoring skills by providing informative workshops; and to help the TLT have a spiritually-enriched weekend while completing some team-building exercises. The Mentor &

Mentee component remains in place, so all Mentors need to make sure to be in attendance this year! Fee, which includes meals, program materials, lodging, but NOT extra activities, is due by Oct. 5. For more information, call Angie Gardner, Lake Region Conference TLT coordinator, at 313-915-8758 or email gardner.angeline@yahoo.com.

Lake Union Offerings Aug. 5 Local Church Budget Aug. 12 World Budget (emphasis

Oakwood, Andrews and

Loma Linda Universities) Aug. 19 Local Church Budget Aug. 26 Local Conference Advance Special Days Aug. 26 EndItNow Emphasis Day The LUC Youth Evangelism Congress 2018 is coming! With the theme iMAGINE, we are really excited about how God wants to impact our youth (ages 16 to 35) during this event. The Lord is calling “the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors” (Education, 17).

He, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20), is calling us to iMAGINE what we could do empowered by his Holy Spirit and creative ideas that will be shared in this Congress. Let’s encourage our youth to participate in this unique event. The dates: Feb. 16–18. The place: Shipshewana, Ind. For more information, visit http://www.lucyouth.org.

North American Division Uchee Pines Alumni Reunion and Retreat: Sept. 17–23. For more information, visit our website at http:// ucheepines.org, or call 877-UCH EEPINES.

Sandia View Academy/Spanish American Seminary Alumni Reunion, Oct. 5–7. Honor Classes: every 5 years. ’50s and ’60s group meet for lunch Thurs. noon at Little Anita’s in Old Town. Cookout Social 5:30 p.m.

Thurs. evening. Golf Tournament Friday morning. For more information, contact Paul Chavez, president, Alumni Association Inc., at 505-899-4181 or 505-304-3885, or Jerry Ruybalid, Class ’54 at 505-357-7949. Business Meeting Friday, 5:00 p.m., with meal. Saturday: Sabbath school and church; afternoon vespers; basketball games after sundown.

Sheyenne River Academy/Plainview Academy/Dakota Adventist Academy Alumni Weekend Oct. 6–7 at Dakota Adventist Academy, 15905 Sheyenne Circle, Bismarck, N.D. Come and renew your friendships. Honor classes: 1943, ’48, ’53, ’58, ’63, ’68, ’78, ’88, ’93, ’98, 2003, ’08, ’13. For more information, contact 701-751-6177, ext. 212, or visit our website at http:// www.dakotaadventistacademy.org.

GYC 2017 — Arise: Join thousands of young people from around the world at GYC Phoenix from Dec. 27–31 as we spend four days looking at God’s glorious vision for his people at the end of time from Isaiah 60. Engage in Bible study, prayer, witnessing, fellowship, seminars and sermons. For details and registration, visit http://www.gycweb.org.

World Church 10 Days of Prayer returns Jan. 10–20, 2018, with the theme “Our High Priest.”

Congregations worldwide continue to be blessed by this powerful prayer initiative.

For more information and to sign up your church, visit http://www.tendaysof prayer.org.

Sabbath Sunset Calendar

Berrien Springs, Mich.

Chicago, Ill. Detroit, Mich.

Indianapolis, Ind. La Crosse, Wis. Lansing, Mich.

Madison, Wis. Springfield, Ill.

August 2017 • L A K E U N I O N H E R A L D

Aug 4

9:01 8:06 8:49 8:55 8:25 8:56 8:16 8:09

Aug 11

8:52 7:57 8:40 8:47 8:16 8:47 8:07 8:01

Aug 18

8:42 7:47 8:30 8:38 8:05 8:37 7:57 7:52

Aug 25

8:32 7:37 8:19 8:28 7:54 8:25 7:45 7:42

Sep 1

8:20 7:25 8:08 8:17 7:42 8:14 7:34 7:31

Sep 8

8:08 7:13 7:56 8:06 7:29 8:02 7:21 7:20

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Within the Lake Union, the officiating pastor or church communication leader is responsible for submission of information to this column. Forms are available in print format, or they can be filled out and submitted directly online. Milepost forms are available at http://www.herald.lakeunion.org. Conference addresses and phone numbers are listed in the masthead on the inside back cover.

Anniversaries LaVern and Linda Rice celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 18,

Funeral services were conducted by Harold Miller, and interment was in Dixon-Volkert Cemetery, Rosiclare.

2017, with an open house reception in

DEGRAVE, Theresa P. (Chartier), age 85;

Enterprise, Ore. They were members of the

born Aug. 7, 1931, in Nadeau, Mich.; died

Pioneer Memorial (Mich.) Church for 37

May 28, 2017, in Wilson, Mich. She was a

years.

member of the Wilson Church.

LaVern A. Rice and Linda L. Wagner were

Survivors include her sons, Monte, Terry,

married June 18, 1967, in Union Springs,

Douglas and Kelly; daughters, Cindy Collar

N.Y., by Bill Quigley. LaVern has worked at Andrews University in the Dairy, Agriculture and Grounds departments. Linda is a registered nurse and has worked at Andrews University as student health nurse.

The Rice family includes Andrew and Becky Rice of Sedro Wolley, Wash.; Jereld and Alina Rice of Enterprise, Ore.; and four grandchildren.

Obituaries

1959, in St. Joseph, Mich.; died April 2, 2017, in Stevensville, Mich. She was a member of the Stevensville Church.

Survivors include her brother, Randy Ashley; half brother, Ricky Schmidtman; and sister, Melinda Johnston.

No services were conducted, with private inurnment.

DAY, Cora G. (Tyree), age 95; born Feb. 22, 1922, in Elizabethtown, Ill.; died May 25, 2017, in Rosiclare, Ill. She was a member of the Metropolis (Ill.) Church.

STILES, Erik E., age 53; born Feb. 19,

June 24, 1923, in Detroit, Mich.; died

1964, in Cedar Springs, Mich.; died May

June 20, 2017, in Dayton, Ohio. She was

10, 2017, in Grand Rapids, Mich. He was

a member of the South Haven (Mich.)

a member of the Grand Rapids Central

Church.

Church.

Survivors include her son, Victor;

Survivors include his wife, Leilani (Bal-

daughters, Laurel Jones, Bonnie Mitchell

aba Villanueva); daughter, Erika Stiles; fa-

and Pamela Stevens; six grandchildren; six

ther, Edd; sisters, Kimberly Gates, Tammie

great-grandchildren; and one great-great-

Batts and Julee Pavelka.

Memorial services were conducted by

grandson.

Memorial services were conducted by William Richardson, and interment was in Big Lake (Minn.) Cemetery.

MORROW, Betty A. (Nave), age 87; born June 19, 1929, in Pontiac, Mich.; died

grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren.

May 15, 2017, in Okeechobee, Fla. She

Funeral services were conducted by the

was a member of the Waterford Riverside

family; graveside services were conducted

Church, Waterford, Mich.

by Tom Hubbard, and interment was in Wilson Church Cemetery.

HOCKSTOCK, Carol (Davidson), age 77; born Jan. 21, 1940, in Green Bay, Wis.; died June 8, 2017, in Green Bay. She was

Survivors include her sons, Kelvin, David and Paul; daughters, Rhea Zimmer and Monica Munyon; 15 grandchildren; and 23

Bob Stewart, with private inurnment, Grand Rapids.

TROYER, David L., age 75; born March 24,

and Shelby Gillen; sister, Gloria Lanaville; 15

a member of the Green Bay Church.

ASHLEY, Bonnie, age 57; born Nov. 26,

MILEPOSTS

MITCHELL, June C. (Leary), age 93; born

Survivors include her husband, Noland; son, Steven Pyles; stepsons, David and Tom Morrow, and Skip and Fred Webb; daughters, Sandra Grignon and Lisa Miller; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services were conducted by Todd Ervin, and inurnment was in Ottawa Park Cemetery, Clarkston, Mich.

1942, in Arthur, Ill.; died April 13, 2017, in Elkhart, Ind. He was a member of the Elkhart Church.

Survivors include his wife, Kay A. (Chamberlain); stepsons, Robert Buck, Williamson Pendergrass and Clayton Pendergrass; daughter, Mary E. (Troyer) Winfrey; stepdaughter, Cindy Pendergrass; brother, Erwin; sisters, Ada Poynter, Alta Hochstetler, Elnora Miller, Sarah Ann Yoder and Esther Wingard; one grandchild; 16 step-grandchildren; and 30 step-great-grandchildren.

Memorial services were conducted by Donald Greulich and Harry Hartmann, with

SOPER, Beatrice L. (De Pas), age 94; born

private inurnment, Elkhart.

May 1, 1923, in Gourley Township, Mich.;

WIDING, Dorothy J. (Moyle), age 91; born

Funeral services were conducted by Bill

died May 1, 2017, in Escanaba, Mich.

Aug. 15, 1925, in Pontiac, Mich.; died Dec.

Ochs, and interment was in Nicolet Memo-

She was a member of the Wilson (Mich.)

8, 2016, in Linden, Mich. She was a mem-

rial Gardens Cemetery Mausoleum, Green

Church.

ber of the Mio (Mich.) Church.

great-grandchildren.

Bay.

Survivors include her sons, Ron, Joseph

Survivors include her husband, Albert C.

and Clayton Jr.; daughters, Joy Palmgren,

Sr.; sons, Albert C. Jr. and Galen D.; daugh-

MESSERSMITH, Marcus W., age 38; born

Marge Wald, Valerie Ristau, Adele Nephew,

ters, Carol L. Cowan, Judy K. Sedge, Beverly

March 30, 1979, in Amery, Wis.; died June

Lola Silva, Jeanne Nephew and Vickie Mon-

J. Rowbotham and Brenda S. Puskas; sis-

8, 2017, in Neenah, Wis. He was a member

day; sister, Lucy Zetko; 17 grandchildren;

ters, Beverly DeYoung and Barbara Hall; 18

of the Green Bay (Wis.) Church.

three step-grandchildren; 20 great-grand-

grandchildren; and 31 great-grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife, Kristy (Chism);

children; seven step-great-grandchildren;

Funeral services were conducted by

daughters, Paula Bowling, Carol Staggs,

father, Leslie; mother, Nancy (Schultz);

three great-great-grandchildren; and 12

Daniel Ferraz and Bela Kobar, and inter-

Judith Sinclare and Pat Wettstein; brother,

brother, Jason; and sister, Jamie Pearson.

step-great-great-grandchildren.

ment was in Crestwood Memorial Ceme-

Bill Tyree; sister, Juanita Knaipe; 12 grand-

Funeral services were conducted by

Funeral services were conducted by

children; 22 great-grandchildren; and three

Bill Ochs and Carlos Ancheta, with private

Jim Nephew, and interment was in Wilson

great-great-grandchildren.

inurnment, Kaukauna, Wis.

Church Cemetery.

Survivors include her son, Ronald;

Vi s i t w w w. h e r a l d . l a k e u n i o n . o r g

tery, Grand Blanc, Mich.

LAKE UNION HERALD

• Au g u s t 2 0 1 7

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33

Classifieds

All classified ads must be sent to your local conference for approval. No phoned ads will be accepted. Allow at least eight weeks for publication. Fifty words maximum.

No limit of insertions. Rates: $36 per insertion for Lake Union church members; $46 per insertion for all others. A form is available at http://www.herald.lakeunion. org for printing out and filling in your ad. Ads must be prepaid. Make money order or check payable to the Lake Union Conference. There will be no refunds for cancellations. The Lake Union Herald cannot be responsible for advertisements appearing in its columns, and reserves the right to edit ads in accordance with editorial policies. The Lake Union Herald does not accept responsibility for typographical errors. Submission eligibility guidelines are listed at http://www.herald.lakeunion.org.

youthful energy or helped healing di-

Clinical & Counseling Emphasis, and

abetes, heart disease, hypertension,

Research Emphasis with preference

obesity, arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus,

for Cognitive and Physiological Psy-

chronic fatigue, cancer, depression,

chology. Preference is for doctorate

anxiety and many more. Invest in

degree, experience in undergraduate

health, call 800-634-9355 or visit

teaching desired. For more informa-

http://www.wildwoodhealth.com.

tion or to apply, please call 707-965-

taxes, air, and breakfast and dinner

BLACK HILLS LIFESTYLE MEDICINE CENTER

buffets daily. From New York, Chicago

invites you to experience health recov-

ADVENTIST BOOKS: Whether you’re

or Los Angeles. Other departure cities

ery and rest surrounded by the quiet,

WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY IS HIRING! To

looking for new titles or reprints from

available. For more information, call

serene beauty of the Black Hills of

see the list of available positions, go

Jennifer at 602-788-8864.

South Dakota. Call 605-255-4101

to http://jobs.wallawalla.edu.

At Your Service

our pioneers, visit http://www.TEACH Services.com or ask your ABC for our titles. For used Adventist books,

Miscellaneous

visit http://www.LNFBooks.com.

SOUTHERN ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY OFFERS

AUTHORS: Interested in having your

MASTER’S DEGREES in business, com-

book published, call 800-367-1844

puter science, counseling, education,

for free evaluations.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE. Country Life Natural Foods is taking

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! AMEN free clinic,

applications for various positions in

Ukiah, Calif., Oct. 17–20. Need den-

their vibrant health food ministry. Cur-

tists, dental hygienists, dental assis-

rent openings include warehousing,

tants, physicians, ophthalmologists/

shipping and receiving, delivery driv-

ing, religion and social work. Flexibility

Apex Moving & Storage partners with

is provided through some online and

optometrists, registration, hospitality,

er (CDL not required), and customer

the General Conference to provide

many on-campus programs. Financial

communication and general help. Find

service office positions. Country Life

quality moves for you. Call us for all

aid may be available. For more infor-

out more at http://ukiahsda.com and

is a distributor of natural, organic,

your relocation needs. Contact Marcy

mation, call 423-236-2585 or visit

click on AMEN medical clinic, or call

vegan, non-gmo, gluten-free and bulk

Danté at 800-766-1902, or visit our

https://www.southern.edu/graduate

707-695-0432.

foods based in southwest Michigan.

website: http://www.apexmoving.

studies.

FREE VOCAL MUSIC CONCERTS WITH

THE CLERGY MOVE CENTER™ at Ste-

PERSONAL LIFE EXPERIENCES. A former

vens Worldwide Van Lines is The Way

voice instructor from Andrews Univer-

To Move from one state to another!

sity with his family will give free Sat.

Through our national contract with

evening vocal music concerts with

the General Conference, we extend

testimonies. Two music CDs and a

our moving services to all Adventist

DVD music video are available after

families. Quality is inherent. Contact

the concert. For more information,

one of our dedicated Move Counsel-

contact Vladimir Slavujevic at 269-

ors today for a no-cost/no-obligation

473-2826, or email him at vladoslav

estimate at 800-248-8313. Or learn

ujevic@yahoo.com.

more about us at http://www.stevens worldwide.com/sda.

Travel/Vacation ISRAEL TOUR WITH JIM GILLEY, 3ABN’s

|

bhlmc.org for further information.

-staff/current-job-postings.

MOVE WITH AN AWARD-WINNING AGENCY.

com/adventist.

34

global community development, nurs-

to get started, and visit http://www.

6231 or visit http://puc.edu/faculty

Our mission is to integrate the health

Employment

food ministry with the spreading of the

PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE is seeking full-

gospel. To inquire, call David Meyer at

time positions in our Nursing Depart-

800-456-7694.

ment. Looking for professors in the areas of Adult Clinical Focus, Adult Clinical Focus-Leadership/Preceptorship, and Obstetric or Children Clinical Focus. Preference is for Master’s degree in Nursing, current California RN license, and a minimum of one year teaching experience desired. For more information or to apply, please

WANTED TO BUY AND FOR SALE used SDA

call 707-965-6231 or visit http://

books new or old, Your Story Hour

puc.edu/faculty-staff/current-job-pos

tapes and games. For more informa-

tings.

tion, contact John at 269-781-6379.

ANDREWS UNIVERSITY seeks an Assistant, Associate Professor, or Producer-in-residence expert in new media journalism, broadcast journalism or television production to teach undergraduate level courses in one or more of those areas. With a brand new broadcast television studio in place at the University, we also are seeking someone who can utilize the facilities to advance the program. Candidate will manage broadcast studio facilities

PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE is seeking full-

and work closely with our studio man-

C.A. MURRAY AND FRIENDS. Two trips

WILDWOOD LIFESTYLE CENTER: For 75

time positions in our Psychology De-

ager handling outside projects. Advises

this fall: Nov. 12–20, $2,995; Nov.

years we have taught people to live

partment. Looking for professors in

students and oversees some student

19–27, $2,995. Includes all tips,

healthy, avoid disease and maintain

the areas of Development Emphasis,

projects, and continues developing

August 2017 • L A K E U N I O N H E R A L D

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

Phoenix Mega Clinic December 25-27, 2017

3,500 Volunteers Needed Dentists, Dental Hygienists & Assistants, Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Nurses Surgeons, Doctors of All Specialties, Hair Stylists and Non-medical Volunteers

Give the gift of health to thousands on Christmas!

Information & Volunteer Registration at

PathwaytoHealthVolunteer.org

Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Scan for video

Vi s i t w w w. h e r a l d . l a k eYour union . o r g Pathway to Health is a humatiarian service of the Seventh-day Adventist L A Church K E U N I in O Npartnership H E R A L D • Au g u s t 2 0 1 7 Best

for the Phoenix mega clinic with the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

|

35

Classifieds

professional projects. For more infor-

education, must integrate faith and

the village has a fellowship you’ll en-

sample. For more information, call

mation or to apply visit: https://www.

learning in the aviation maintenance

joy. On-site church, independent living,

800-777-2848 or visit us at http://

andrews.edu/admres/jobs/show/fac

program. For more information or to

nursing home and transportation as

www.familyheritagebooks.com.

ulty#job_13.

apply, visit: https://www.andrews.

needed. For more information, visit

edu/admres/jobs/1348.

http://www.summitridgevillage.org, or

PSYCHIATRIST OR CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, PH.D., needed for Rural Health

ANDREWS UNIVERSITY seeks a University

Clinic on the campus of Weimar Insti-

Archivist. This administrative staff po-

tute at Weimar, Calif. Competitive pay

sition is responsible for the operation

and benefits. For more information, call

of the Andrews University archives pro-

Randall Steffens at 615-604-0142.

gram including planning, education, promotion, acquisition, processing,

ANDREWS UNIVERSITY seeks a Faculty

organization and disposition of Univer-

Instructor for Aircraft Maintenance.

sity records. For more information or to

The aviation maintenance instructor

apply, visit https://www.andrews.edu/

is responsible for teaching, planning,

admres/jobs/1311.

organizing, and operating within an FAA approved part 147 maintenance

Real Estate/Housing

call Bill Norman at 405-208-1289.

COUNTRY LIFE NATURAL FOODS is a supplier of bulk, organic, vegan and natural foods based in southwest Mich-

For Sale

igan. Our mission is to integrate the

PATHFINDER/ADVENTURER CLUB NAME CREST: Order your Pathfinder and Adventurer club name crest at http:// www.pathfinderclubnames.com.

For

more information, call 269-208-5853 or email us at pathfinderclubnames@ gmail.com.

health food ministry with the spreading of the gospel. Many churches have seen success in reaching out to their community by forming a co-op where groups order together and get free delivery to your location. Health education events can be planned as well.

We can help get you started. Call 800-

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To address these challenging questions, an outstanding group of field leaders and scholars has been invited to make thoughtful, practical presentations.

Register today at Plusline.org.

Find more information at www.nadei.org.

36

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August 2017 • L A K E U N I O N H E R A L D

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

BY ANDY IM

COMMISSION CULTURE

REACHING SECULAR CAMPUSES

T

here I was, helpless and hopeless. Despair and a

You and I have been commissioned with the Everlasting

heightened sense of anxiety induced by chemicals

Gospel. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of young

seized a desperate soul nearly 20 years ago.

Adventist students, like me, attending secular campuses

I had gone to the University of North Carolina–Chapel

throughout North America, not to mention the millions of

Hill with a big ego and ambitions to become a lawyer and

religious “nones” in desperate need of a Savior. Now is

to live my life — this life — to the fullest.

the time for us to reach those students with our message

I wanted nothing to do with God. I had dabbled with Christianity several times and my experimentation had always left me feeling intense guilt and angst. So, I was done.

of hope. We can’t afford not to. There’s way too much at stake, don’t you think?

Andy Im is communication director and associate director of public campus ministry for the Michigan Conference.

I made new friends and embarked on a journey to explore the world. Secularism had a dizzying effect upon me.

I was stimulated intellectually and delved into a life of parties and stimulants, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that this road was a dead-end. The substances I experimented with enslaved me in a psychological prison.

Despondency followed.

So, there I was one night, jacked up, anxious, and desiring an out-of-body experience to escape my agony. Yet, for some reason I thought of God, opened up my Bible, and something miraculous happened. As I read the book of Psalm, the drug-induced anxiety began to fade. I remember thinking, “This is crazy! How does a chemically induced feeling simply vanish like that?” But I’m telling you, it happened.

That night, God initiated the process of rescuing me from the inescapable pit I had dug for myself. I began claiming Bible promises: Bless the Lord, O my soul . . .

Andy Im

who forgives all your iniquities . . . who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies (Psalm 103:2, 3, 4). God is simply amazing.

Vi s i t w w w. h e r a l d . l a k e u n i o n . o r g

LAKE UNION HERALD

• Au g u s t 2 0 1 7

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37

ONE VOICE

[ Y O U N G

A D U LT S

S P E A K

T H E I R

M I N D ]

New Beginnings

I

B Y A N D R E W P A R K

grew up attending church every Sabbath, but didn’t truly understand much about Adventism. The lack of understanding of my faith combined with enrollment in public schooling led to my draw and conformity towards the unhealthy social dynamics of my environment. The conformity started out innocently, from dress choices

to sports, but soon imperceptibly transformed my speech, attitude and lifestyle habits. The change was gradual, but by my senior year I was heavily involved with drugs, late night social outings, a poor selection of friends and worldly pursuits.

When I began my college experience at Michigan State University, there came a point where I did not care about God, only about carnal pleasures. It is grievous to think that although our parents raise us to the best of their ability, to walk in the right path, children frequently end up making the wrong decisions.

During my sophomore year, my older brother, who had been baptized the prior year, encouraged me to become a literature evangelist. I had many objections but, through his persuasive skills and a number of other incidents, I naively decided to commit the summer of 2015 with the now-named Michigan Conference Youth Rush canvassing program. I remember telling my friends that I was going to “prison” for the summer, but would be back to continue life as usual. Little did I know that my plans were in subjection to a far greater plan.

Through exposure in the canvassing work, I realized a few things: all of the selfish pursuits and gains to which I was hopelessly enslaved were ultimately meaningless. God had something better in store for my life, and service for him and obedience to his law is not a restriction but actually the only source of true fulfillment and purpose.

I ended up finishing the program, took a year off to study theology

38

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August 2017 • L A K E U N I O N H E R A L D

at Ouachita Hills College, learned about our Adventist message and its true attractiveness, and was baptized on April 9, 2016. I am currently back at MSU and involved with the public campus ministries in East Lansing, Michigan.

Do I wake up every morning feeling on fire for God and ready to work for him? No. Every day is a battle and a struggle with sin. However, I would rather struggle with God than live a vain life in the world. When we fall into sin, there are certain texts to remember: Mark 2:17, Proverbs 24:16, John 15:4, 5.

I will end with a quote: “What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself” (Special Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, Vol. 9, p. 62.1). It is not what we can do, but what God can do for us. Jesus is doing a very special work in the heavenly sanctuary, and we can trust that he will complete the work he has started in me, and in you.

Andrew Park, a 22-year-old junior at Michigan State University studying packaging engineering, attends the University Church in East Lansing, Michigan. Andrew received a $100 scholarship for this article.

If you’d like to submit an article for consideration, please email: herald@lakeunion.org.

Jul

ian

na

Du

nn

T h e L a k e Un i o n He ra l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .

ON THE EDGE

... where faith meets action

The Ultimate Test

A

B Y E VA N B AT E S

few months ago, while working out at the gym at the University of Wisconsin–Sheboygan, a classmate pulled Sara Kroneck aside. “I think you should know that there’s a spreadsheet going around with

religious topics to debate with you. The religion professor even helped.”

Rebecca Pfeifer

Her confusion must have been obvious because, after a pause, he added, “They’re topics we know you disagree on, and we just want to know why you believe what you do.

I helped him write it so I figured I’d give you a heads up.”

It all started last year, Sara’s first year at the two-year transfer school with 700 students, of which she is the only Seventh-day Adventist.

Burned out and worn down from school, she attended the Public Christian Ministries (PCM) retreat at Camp Wakonda. The fellowship and workshops gave her renewed focus and a desire to put into practice the Sara Kroneck words of Peter: But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15).

She prayed the simple prayer, “God, please help me talk to someone about you today.”

Nervous and excited, she knew God would answer her. That very afternoon, Ryan, an atheist classmate, started a conversation about her beliefs that lasted an hour-and-a-half!

Because of that conversation, many more students have talked to Sara about what she believes. Those conversations have convinced her to start an official PCM club when she transfers schools next year.

Sara’s advice for reaching your classmates for Christ? “Keep it casual. Look for opportunities with people you already have a friendship with, and let the discovery of the Bible be an extension of that relationship. Be ready to accept positions that broaden your circles of influence, like student government or tutoring, and never be afraid of speaking up when it’s time.”

One of the classmates who helped prepare the spreadsheet is now reading The Great Controversy, and says the Christian values he sees are the biggest reason he’s studying.

Sara wants you to know that you can do it , too. “God will give you the opportunities to have impactful conversations; you don’t even have to go looking for them!”

Evan Bates lives in North Carolina and met Sara when they both served as advisors to Young Discipleship magazine.

He’s an outdoor medical professional, and co-authors bedrockblog.com.

Official Publication of the Seventh-day Adventist Church/Lake Union Headquarters

http://herald.lakeunion.org

Vol. 109, No. 7

T H E L A K E U N I O N H E R A L D S TA F F P.O. Box 287, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-0287 | (269) 473-8242 Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don Livesay president@lakeunion.org Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gary Burns editor@lakeunion.org Managing Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Michel herald@lakeunion.org Circulation/Back Pages Editor. . . . . . . . Judi Doty circulation@lakeunion.org Art Direction/Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Mason Proofreader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan K. Slikkers CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Adventist Health System . . . . Anthony Vera Cruz Anthony.VeraCruz@ahss.org Andrews University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rebecca May RMay@andrews.edu Illinois. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shona Cross scross@ilcsda.org Indiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Poenitz spoenitz@indysda.org Lake Region . . . . . . . . . . Paul Young communication@lakeregionsda.org Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Im aim@misda.org Wisconsin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juanita Edge jedge@wi.adventist.org CORRESPONDENTS Adventist Health System . . . . Anthony Vera Cruz Anthony.VeraCruz@ahss.org Andrews University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Becky St. Clair stclair@andrews.edu Illinois. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shona Cross scross@ilcsda.org Indiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Colleen Kelly colleenkelly1244@gmail.com Lake Region . . . . . . . . . . Paul Young communication@lakeregionsda.org Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julie Clark jclark@misda.org Wisconsin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deidre Roat droat@wi.adventist.org LAKE UNION CONFERENCE DEPARTMENTS P.O. Box 287, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-0287 | (269) 473-8200 President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don Livesay Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maurice Valentine Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glynn Scott Vice President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carmelo Mercado Associate Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Moore Associate Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jon Corder ACSDR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diana Bruch ASI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carmelo Mercado Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gary Burns Communication Associate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Michel Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Linda Fuchs Education Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Livesay Education Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruth Horton Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Randy Griffin Multiethnic Ministries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carmelo Mercado Information Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sean Parker Ministerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maurice Valentine Native Ministries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gary Burns Public Affairs and Religious Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Miller Trust Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jon Corder Women’s Ministries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Barbara Livesay Youth Ministries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Whitehead LOCAL CONFERENCES AND INSTITUTIONS Adventist Health System: Terry Shaw, president/CEO, 900 Hope Way, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714; 407-357-1000.

Andrews University: Andrea Luxton, president, Berrien Springs, MI 491040670; 269-471-7771.

Address Correction

Illinois: Ron Aguilera, president; John Grys, secretary; Michael Daum, treasurer; 619 Plainfield Rd., Willowbrook, IL 60527-8438; 630-856-2850.

Only paid subscribers should contact the Lake Union Herald office with their address changes. Members should contact their local conference membership clerks directly for all Lake Union Herald address changes. Contact phone numbers are listed below for your convenience, and addresses are listed to the right. Online submissions can be made at http://herald.lakeunion.org under “Subscription Change.”

Indiana: Steve Poenitz, president; Mark Eaton, secretary/treasurer; street address: 15205 Westfield Blvd., Carmel, IN 46032; mailing address: P.O. Box 5000, Westfield, IN 46074; 317-844-6201.

Lake Union Herald Office: 269-473-8242 Lake Region: 773-846-2661 Illinois: 630-856-2874 Michigan: 517-316-1552 Indiana: 317-844-6201 ext. 241 Wisconsin: 920-484-6555 Members outside the Lake Union may subscribe by sending a check for $12.50 (per year) to P.O. Box 287, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-0287. Note: If you are a member of a church in the Lake Union but are not receiving the Lake Union Herald, please request it through your church clerk or your local conference secretary.

Michigan: Jay Gallimore, president; James Micheff Jr., secretary; Leroy Bruch, treasurer; street address: 320 W. St. Joseph St., Lansing, MI 48933; mailing address: P.O. Box 24187, Lansing, MI 48909; 517-316-1500.

Lake Region: R. Clifford Jones, president; Timothy Nixon, secretary; Yvonne Collins, treasurer; 8517 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60619; 773-846-2661.

Wisconsin: Michael G. Edge, president; Brian Stephan, secretary/treasurer; street address: N2561 Old Highway 16, Fall River, WI 53932; mailing address: P.O. Box 100, Fall River, WI 53932; 920-484-6555.

Contributors: Writer guidelines are available online at http://herald.lakeunion.org.

Indexed in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index LAKE UNION HERALD

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P.O. Box 287, Berrien Springs, MI 49103-0287

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